Difference between revisions of "Meta Episodes"
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+ | [[File:SupernaturalBookcover.gif||thumb|right|400px|Breaking the fourth wall.]] | ||
=Overview= | =Overview= | ||
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{{TriviaQuote |Text= | {{TriviaQuote |Text= | ||
'''Fan:''' If you could ask Castiel one question, what would it be?<br> | '''Fan:''' If you could ask Castiel one question, what would it be?<br> | ||
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[[1.17 Hell House]] was the first episode to start playing meta seriously as we meet the [[Ghostfacers]] – the TV version of hunters dropping Buffy references, with an internet fan following that can literally bring the tales they read to life. | [[1.17 Hell House]] was the first episode to start playing meta seriously as we meet the [[Ghostfacers]] – the TV version of hunters dropping Buffy references, with an internet fan following that can literally bring the tales they read to life. | ||
− | In Season 2, it was [[2.18 Hollywood Babylon]] that started kicking hard at the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourthWall Fourth Wall] in an episode about movie making by writer [[Ben Edlund]]. The episode centres around a stolen script for a horror movie: [[Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning]]. The episode incorporated actual notes from the network that Kripke had received for Supernatural, pokes fun at Kripke’s movie Boogeyman, as well as using incorporated images from Supernatural episodes into movie posters. To top it off the movie producer in the episode is [[McG]] – and the real McG (Supernatural’s producer) appears in a crowd scene, as do many of the Supernatural crew. | + | In Season 2, it was [[2.18 Hollywood Babylon]] that started kicking hard at the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourthWall Fourth Wall] in an episode about movie making by writer [[Ben Edlund]]. The episode centres around a stolen script for a horror movie: [[Hell Hazers|Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning]]. The episode incorporated actual notes from the network that Kripke had received for Supernatural, pokes fun at Kripke’s movie Boogeyman, as well as using incorporated images from Supernatural episodes into movie posters. To top it off the movie producer in the episode is [[McG]] – and the real McG (Supernatural’s producer) appears in a crowd scene, as do many of the Supernatural crew. |
Season 3 was interrupted by the [[Writers Guild of America Strike]] which began at the end of 2007 and ran until February 2008. [[3.13 Ghostfacers]] was the first episode written and filmed after the strike ended. Presented as a low budget, unscripted show, it is the type of programming that was predicted to replace scripted dramas like Supernatural if the strike had continued. | Season 3 was interrupted by the [[Writers Guild of America Strike]] which began at the end of 2007 and ran until February 2008. [[3.13 Ghostfacers]] was the first episode written and filmed after the strike ended. Presented as a low budget, unscripted show, it is the type of programming that was predicted to replace scripted dramas like Supernatural if the strike had continued. | ||
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[[McG]] is the producer of ''Supernatural'' as well as the producer in the episode. The real McG can be seen standing behind Sam and Dean in the scene where the crew is listening to faux McG.}} | [[McG]] is the producer of ''Supernatural'' as well as the producer in the episode. The real McG can be seen standing behind Sam and Dean in the scene where the crew is listening to faux McG.}} | ||
{{TriviaQuote |Text= | {{TriviaQuote |Text= | ||
− | The set of ''[[Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning]]'' features the water tower from [[2.08 Crossroad Blues]] and the cabin from [[2.16 Roadkill]]. The deer's head on the wall has appeared in the boys' motel room in [[1.14 Nightmare]], John's room in [[1.21 Salvation]], and Steve Wandell's home in [[2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign]].}} | + | The set of ''[[Hell Hazers|Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning]]'' features the water tower from [[2.08 Crossroad Blues]] and the cabin from [[2.16 Roadkill]]. The deer's head on the wall has appeared in the boys' motel room in [[1.14 Nightmare]], John's room in [[1.21 Salvation]], and Steve Wandell's home in [[2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign]].}} |
{{TriviaQuote |Text= | {{TriviaQuote |Text= | ||
Kripke, who has said that the show and he himself are able to laugh about themselves, throws in a little side blow at a past project of his. When Dean goes to talk to Tara, he says he loved her in [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357507/ Boogeyman] and she says it had a terrible script. Boogeyman was written by Eric Kripke and he admitted at the Paley Festival that the movie wasn't very good because it missed substance and soul, unlike Supernatural, which has it all, thanks to Bob Singer.}} | Kripke, who has said that the show and he himself are able to laugh about themselves, throws in a little side blow at a past project of his. When Dean goes to talk to Tara, he says he loved her in [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357507/ Boogeyman] and she says it had a terrible script. Boogeyman was written by Eric Kripke and he admitted at the Paley Festival that the movie wasn't very good because it missed substance and soul, unlike Supernatural, which has it all, thanks to Bob Singer.}} | ||
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Brad is complaining about why the movie is so dark and that it should be lighter and not "so depressing". At [[Comic Con]] Kripke said that all of Brad's complaints and advice about the movie were taken from similar things he'd been told by Network Executives about ''Supernatural''.}} | Brad is complaining about why the movie is so dark and that it should be lighter and not "so depressing". At [[Comic Con]] Kripke said that all of Brad's complaints and advice about the movie were taken from similar things he'd been told by Network Executives about ''Supernatural''.}} | ||
{{TriviaQuote |Text= | {{TriviaQuote |Text= | ||
− | In the faux trailer for ''[[Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning]]'', writer Martin Flagg is also credited as the writer of ''Cornfield Massacre'' and ''Monster Truck'', which are illustrated with images from Supernatural episodes [[1.11 Scarecrow]] and [[1.13 Route 666]]. There's also a shot of the hook from [[1.07 Hook Man]], of Claire's desiccated hands from [[2.07 The Usual Suspects]], Gordon and his bloody knife from [[2.03 Bloodlust]] and the inside of Angela's coffin from [[2.04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things]]. <br/>}} | + | In the faux trailer for ''[[Hell Hazers|Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning]]'', writer Martin Flagg is also credited as the writer of ''Cornfield Massacre'' and ''Monster Truck'', which are illustrated with images from Supernatural episodes [[1.11 Scarecrow]] and [[1.13 Route 666]]. There's also a shot of the hook from [[1.07 Hook Man]], of Claire's desiccated hands from [[2.07 The Usual Suspects]], Gordon and his bloody knife from [[2.03 Bloodlust]] and the inside of Angela's coffin from [[2.04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things]]. <br/>}} |
{{TriviaQuote |Text= | {{TriviaQuote |Text= | ||
In Martin’s office there is also a poster for ''Carnivore Carnival'' which has an image from [[2.02 Everybody Loves a Clown]]. }} | In Martin’s office there is also a poster for ''Carnivore Carnival'' which has an image from [[2.02 Everybody Loves a Clown]]. }} | ||
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'''Acafandom Writing''' | '''Acafandom Writing''' | ||
− | + | <div style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |
* Fathallah, Judith May. 2010. Becky is my hero: The power of laughter and disruption in Supernatural. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0220 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0220]. | * Fathallah, Judith May. 2010. Becky is my hero: The power of laughter and disruption in Supernatural. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0220 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0220]. | ||
* Felschow, Laura. 2010. "Hey, check it out, there's actually fans": (Dis)empowerment and (mis)representation of cult fandom in Supernatural. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0134 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0134]. | * Felschow, Laura. 2010. "Hey, check it out, there's actually fans": (Dis)empowerment and (mis)representation of cult fandom in Supernatural. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0134 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0134]. | ||
* Gray, Melissa. 2010. From canon to fanon and back again: The epic journey of Supernatural and its fans. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0146 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0146]. | * Gray, Melissa. 2010. From canon to fanon and back again: The epic journey of Supernatural and its fans. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0146 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0146]. | ||
* Sivarajan, Deepa. 2010. Tlön, fandom, and source text: The effect of fan works on the narrative of Supernatural. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0171 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0171]. | * Sivarajan, Deepa. 2010. Tlön, fandom, and source text: The effect of fan works on the narrative of Supernatural. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0171 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0171]. | ||
− | * Wilkinson, Jules. 2010. A box of mirrors, a unicorn, and a pony. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0159 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0159].* García-Martínez, A.N. "[https://dadun.unav.edu/handle/10171/36617 Breaking the Mirror. Metafictional Strategies in 'Supernatural']." In ''TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural'', edited by David Lavery and Stacey Abbott, ECW Press, Toronto, 2011, pp. 146-160. | + | * Wilkinson, Jules. 2010. A box of mirrors, a unicorn, and a pony. ''Transformative Works and Cultures'', no. 4. [https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0159 https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0159]. |
+ | * García-Martínez, A.N. "[https://dadun.unav.edu/handle/10171/36617 Breaking the Mirror. Metafictional Strategies in 'Supernatural']." In ''TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural'', edited by David Lavery and Stacey Abbott, ECW Press, Toronto, 2011, pp. 146-160. | ||
* Fuchs, Michael. 2014. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160805151433/http://www.fuchsmichael.net/index.php/news/47-publication-news/89-metaleptic-genre-mixing-in-supernatural 'Three hundred channels and nothing's on': Metaleptic Genre-Mixing in Supernatural]," in ''Critical Reflections on Audience and Narrativity: New Connections, New Perspectives'', eds. Bianca Mitu, Silvia Branea, and Valentina Marinescu. Hanover: ibidem-Verlag. | * Fuchs, Michael. 2014. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160805151433/http://www.fuchsmichael.net/index.php/news/47-publication-news/89-metaleptic-genre-mixing-in-supernatural 'Three hundred channels and nothing's on': Metaleptic Genre-Mixing in Supernatural]," in ''Critical Reflections on Audience and Narrativity: New Connections, New Perspectives'', eds. Bianca Mitu, Silvia Branea, and Valentina Marinescu. Hanover: ibidem-Verlag. | ||
* Herbig, Art, and Andrew F. Herrmann. 2016. Polymediated Narrative: The Case of the Supernatural Episode "Fan Fiction." ''International Journal of Communication'', no. 10. [http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4397 http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4397] | * Herbig, Art, and Andrew F. Herrmann. 2016. Polymediated Narrative: The Case of the Supernatural Episode "Fan Fiction." ''International Journal of Communication'', no. 10. [http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4397 http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4397] | ||
* George, Jessica. 2017. "[https://www.academia.edu/32103362/_The_Monster_at_the_End_of_This_Book_Authorship_and_Monstrosity_in_Supernatural 'The Monster at the End of This Book': Authorship and Monstrosity in Supernatural]." In ''Monsters and Monstrosity in 21st-Century Film and Television'', eds. Cristina Artenie and Ashley Szanter, Universitas Press. | * George, Jessica. 2017. "[https://www.academia.edu/32103362/_The_Monster_at_the_End_of_This_Book_Authorship_and_Monstrosity_in_Supernatural 'The Monster at the End of This Book': Authorship and Monstrosity in Supernatural]." In ''Monsters and Monstrosity in 21st-Century Film and Television'', eds. Cristina Artenie and Ashley Szanter, Universitas Press. | ||
* Re, Valentina. 2017. "The Monster at the End of This Book: Metalepsis, Fandom, and World Making in Contemporary TV Series." In ''World Building'', edited by Marta Boni, 321-342, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam. [https://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=1004106 https://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=1004106] | * Re, Valentina. 2017. "The Monster at the End of This Book: Metalepsis, Fandom, and World Making in Contemporary TV Series." In ''World Building'', edited by Marta Boni, 321-342, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam. [https://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=1004106 https://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=1004106] | ||
+ | </div> | ||
'''Meta Essays''' | '''Meta Essays''' | ||
− | + | <div style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |
*[https://sistermagpie.livejournal.com/185610.html Girls Don't Get It] by sistermagpie (November 2009); [http://archive.today/FQU8F archive link] | *[https://sistermagpie.livejournal.com/185610.html Girls Don't Get It] by sistermagpie (November 2009); [http://archive.today/FQU8F archive link] | ||
*Kade, Stacey. 2011. [http://www.staceykade.com/2011/11/21/sam-winchester-should-be-so-lucky Sam Winchester Should Be So Lucky...] ''StacyKade.com'', November 21; [https://web.archive.org/web/20120304140608/http://www.staceykade.com/2011/11/21/sam-winchester-should-be-so-lucky archive link] | *Kade, Stacey. 2011. [http://www.staceykade.com/2011/11/21/sam-winchester-should-be-so-lucky Sam Winchester Should Be So Lucky...] ''StacyKade.com'', November 21; [https://web.archive.org/web/20120304140608/http://www.staceykade.com/2011/11/21/sam-winchester-should-be-so-lucky archive link] | ||
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*[https://vantasticmess.tumblr.com/post/25491905031/lets-talk-about-parody-vs-affectionate-parody-or LET’S TALK ABOUT PARODY VS. AFFECTIONATE PARODY or That Time Hussie Parodied His Fans the Right Way] by vantasticmess (June 2012); [http://archive.today/w0fCS archive link 1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20200512045322/https://vantasticmess.tumblr.com/post/25491905031/lets-talk-about-parody-vs-affectionate-parody-or archive link 2] | *[https://vantasticmess.tumblr.com/post/25491905031/lets-talk-about-parody-vs-affectionate-parody-or LET’S TALK ABOUT PARODY VS. AFFECTIONATE PARODY or That Time Hussie Parodied His Fans the Right Way] by vantasticmess (June 2012); [http://archive.today/w0fCS archive link 1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20200512045322/https://vantasticmess.tumblr.com/post/25491905031/lets-talk-about-parody-vs-affectionate-parody-or archive link 2] | ||
*[https://twistedsardonic.tumblr.com/post/65526555945/that-one-time-robbie-thompson-wrote-us-a-mary-sue That One Time Robbie Thompson Wrote Us A Mary Sue SPN/Wizard of Oz Crossover] by twistedsardonic (October 2013); [http://archive.today/2017.02.27-162336/http://twistedsardonic.tumblr.com/post/65526555945/that-one-time-robbie-thompson-wrote-us-a-mary-sue archive link] | *[https://twistedsardonic.tumblr.com/post/65526555945/that-one-time-robbie-thompson-wrote-us-a-mary-sue That One Time Robbie Thompson Wrote Us A Mary Sue SPN/Wizard of Oz Crossover] by twistedsardonic (October 2013); [http://archive.today/2017.02.27-162336/http://twistedsardonic.tumblr.com/post/65526555945/that-one-time-robbie-thompson-wrote-us-a-mary-sue archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://isthemachinesinging.tumblr.com/post/80513925709/a-real-tight-rope-youre-walking-satire-meta “A Real Tight Rope You’re Walking”: Satire, Meta, and Corbett in “Ghostfacers”] isthemachinesinging (March 2014); [http://web.archive.org/web/20180902010812/http://isthemachinesinging.tumblr.com/post/80513925709/a-real-tight-rope-youre-walking-satire-meta archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://larinah.tumblr.com/post/80880169946/that-book-up-there-beside-metatrons-typewriter-is Meta Fiction and Metatron, Chuck, Cigarette-Smoking Man, and Kilgore Trout…or, why does Metatron have a copy of Slaughter-House Five next to his typewriter?] by larinah (March 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903154701/http://larinah.tumblr.com/post/80880169946/that-book-up-there-beside-metatrons-typewriter-is archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://larinah.tumblr.com/post/82403360327/dean-winchester-and-billy-pilgrim-brothers-in Dean Winchester and Billy Pilgrim, brothers in arms unstuck in time and mind…or how Dean is a little like a Vonnegut character and that’s really not a good thing] by larinah (April 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903153806/http://larinah.tumblr.com/post/82403360327/dean-winchester-and-billy-pilgrim-brothers-in-arms archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://larinah.tumblr.com/post/82910625600/robbie-thompson-and-his-x-files-reference Robbie Thompson and his X-Files Reference….the connections between Meta Fiction and Post-Modern Prometheus] by larinah (April 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903153806/http://larinah.tumblr.com/post/82910625600/robbie-thompson-and-his-x-files-reference archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://larinah.tumblr.com/post/83013210700/super-meta-madness-from-the-mind-of-someone-who Super Meta Madness!….I’ve really gone off the deep end of the meta pool now, and I swear after this I’ll shut up about all the Vonnegut connections!] by larinah (April 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903154439/http://larinah.tumblr.com/post/83013210700/super-meta-madness-from-the-mind-of-someone-who archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://bookdal.tumblr.com/post/82958818179/for-mieke-the-epic-love-story-of-supernatural-and For Mieke: The Epic Love Story of Supernatural and its Fans - A Brief Meta on “Meta Fiction”] by bookdal (April 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20190603022326/https://bookdal.tumblr.com/post/82958818179/for-mieke-the-epic-love-story-of-supernatural-and archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://bookdal.tumblr.com/post/87344414111/metanatural-supernatural-and-the-great-debate Metanatural: Supernatural and the Great Debate over Meaning] by bookdal (May 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20190603022023/https://bookdal.tumblr.com/post/87344414111/metanatural-supernatural-and-the-great-debate archive link] | ||
*[https://theniftythings.tumblr.com/post/102508527987/5x09-the-real-ghostbusters-10x05-fan-fiction 5.9/10.5: evolving perception and representation of fandom] by theniftythings (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20181219041902/http://theniftythings.tumblr.com/post/102508527987/5x09-the-real-ghostbusters-10x05-fan-fiction archive link] | *[https://theniftythings.tumblr.com/post/102508527987/5x09-the-real-ghostbusters-10x05-fan-fiction 5.9/10.5: evolving perception and representation of fandom] by theniftythings (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20181219041902/http://theniftythings.tumblr.com/post/102508527987/5x09-the-real-ghostbusters-10x05-fan-fiction archive link] | ||
*[http://deathbycoldopen.tumblr.com/post/102731336892/the-truth-in-the-fanfiction The Truth in the Fanfiction] by deathbycoldopen (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20141119085956/http://deathbycoldopen.tumblr.com/post/102731336892/the-truth-in-the-fanfiction archive link] | *[http://deathbycoldopen.tumblr.com/post/102731336892/the-truth-in-the-fanfiction The Truth in the Fanfiction] by deathbycoldopen (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20141119085956/http://deathbycoldopen.tumblr.com/post/102731336892/the-truth-in-the-fanfiction archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://larinah.tumblr.com/post/103158270587/some-walk-by-nighta-long-road-of-metafictional Some Walk By Night - a little walk through the metafiction of Supernatural and some of the works that may have inspired it] by larinah (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903150913/http://larinah.tumblr.com/post/103158270587/some-walk-by-night-a-long-road-of-metafiction-that archive link] | ||
*[https://yarnyfan.tumblr.com/post/102482647308/time-to-put-on-my-old-lady-hat-for-a-minute Time to put on my old lady hat for a minute] by yarnyfan (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20151227172300/https://yarnyfan.tumblr.com/post/102482647308/time-to-put-on-my-old-lady-hat-for-a-minute archive link] | *[https://yarnyfan.tumblr.com/post/102482647308/time-to-put-on-my-old-lady-hat-for-a-minute Time to put on my old lady hat for a minute] by yarnyfan (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20151227172300/https://yarnyfan.tumblr.com/post/102482647308/time-to-put-on-my-old-lady-hat-for-a-minute archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://nihilisticlinguistics.tumblr.com/post/106824300437/metatron-as-carver Metatron as Carver] by nihilisticlinguistics, elizabethrobertajones (January 2015); [https://web.archive.org/web/20181218083510/https://nihilisticlinguistics.tumblr.com/post/106824300437/metatron-as-carver archive link] | ||
+ | **[https://nihilisticlinguistics.tumblr.com/post/133281768557/holy-shit-holy-shit-idk-if-anybodys-read-my more thoughts] by nihilisticlinguistics (November 2015); [https://web.archive.org/web/20181218090706/https://nihilisticlinguistics.tumblr.com/post/133281768557/holy-shit-holy-shit-idk-if-anybodys-read-my archive link] | ||
+ | *farawayeyes. 2011/2016. [https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/articles/articles-40/5-episode-related/16383-meta-fiction-as-a-funhouse-how-supernatural-smashes-and-distorts-the-fourth-wall?showall=1 Meta Fiction As a Funhouse: How Supernatural Smashes and Distorts The Fourth Wall]. ''The Winchester Family Business''; [https://web.archive.org/web/20190923021701/https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/articles/articles-40/5-episode-related/16383-meta-fiction-as-a-funhouse-how-supernatural-smashes-and-distorts-the-fourth-wall?showall=1 archive link] | ||
*[https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/143934794736/the-interesting-if-disturbingly-controversial Becky ... as a very creepy commentary on fandom culture] by spnaturalconfessions; raptured-night (May 2016); [https://web.archive.org/web/20200223051252/https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/143934794736/the-interesting-if-disturbingly-controversial archive link] | *[https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/143934794736/the-interesting-if-disturbingly-controversial Becky ... as a very creepy commentary on fandom culture] by spnaturalconfessions; raptured-night (May 2016); [https://web.archive.org/web/20200223051252/https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/143934794736/the-interesting-if-disturbingly-controversial archive link] | ||
− | *[https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/187195988626/the-meta-of-supernatural-the-many-meanings-of The Meta of Supernatural & The Many Meanings of | + | *[https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/165516472863/the-most-meta-finale-or-on-trying-to-disown “The Most Meta Finale” Or, on trying to disown old canon since season 11] by elizabethrobertajones (September 2017); [https://web.archive.org/web/20181225182153/https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/165516472863/the-most-meta-finale-or-on-trying-to-disown archive link] |
+ | *[https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/187195988626/the-meta-of-supernatural-the-many-meanings-of The Meta of Supernatural & The Many Meanings of "God as the Author"] by magicoolsassyphoenix (August 2019); [https://raptured-night.tumblr.com/post/187195988626/the-meta-of-supernatural-the-many-meanings-of archive link] | ||
+ | *[https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/189340349675/me-every-relevant-point-now-forever-onwards-for We are definitely circling ''Breakfast of Champions''] by tinkdw, drsilverfish, mittensmorgul (November 2019); [https://web.archive.org/web/20191128210951/https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/189340349675/me-every-relevant-point-now-forever-onwards-for archive link] | ||
+ | </div> | ||
'''Further Reading''' | '''Further Reading''' | ||
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*Kubicek, John. 2009. Supernatural slash: This is wrong. ''BuddyTV'', September 11; [https://web.archive.org/web/20090914035410/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/supernatural/supernatural-slash-this-is-wro-31170.aspx archive link] | *Kubicek, John. 2009. Supernatural slash: This is wrong. ''BuddyTV'', September 11; [https://web.archive.org/web/20090914035410/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/supernatural/supernatural-slash-this-is-wro-31170.aspx archive link] | ||
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[[Category:Fandom]][[Category:Meta]][[Category:Popular Culture]] | [[Category:Fandom]][[Category:Meta]][[Category:Popular Culture]] |
Latest revision as of 23:45, 18 January 2023
Overview
Misha Collins: What question would I ask the character I play? That's like being in a box of mirrors. With a unicorn. And a pony.
A meta reference, also called a meta-fiction technique or meta-fictive device, in a TV show occurs the show, or a character, demonstrates they are aware of their own fictional nature.
Supernatural is a show about stories. Urban legends, folklore, religion are society’s stories, most particularly America’s stories. There are personal narratives: the tales families and individuals tell about themselves and their relationships. Including the story telling of pop culture – be it movies, TV the internet or fan fiction – fits perfectly into this. Supernatural takes this commentary one step further, by commenting on itself as a story.
The very first subtle meta nods occurred in the 1.01 Pilot when Dean introduces himself and Sam using the aliases Agents Mulder and Scully – a nod to the Show’s TV ancestry in the X-Files.
Dean is established as a horror movie fan, so the Show gets to reference its genre influences. The Shining in particular is oft-quoted, and visually referenced as well in 2.11 Playthings.
1.17 Hell House was the first episode to start playing meta seriously as we meet the Ghostfacers – the TV version of hunters dropping Buffy references, with an internet fan following that can literally bring the tales they read to life.
In Season 2, it was 2.18 Hollywood Babylon that started kicking hard at the Fourth Wall in an episode about movie making by writer Ben Edlund. The episode centres around a stolen script for a horror movie: Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning. The episode incorporated actual notes from the network that Kripke had received for Supernatural, pokes fun at Kripke’s movie Boogeyman, as well as using incorporated images from Supernatural episodes into movie posters. To top it off the movie producer in the episode is McG – and the real McG (Supernatural’s producer) appears in a crowd scene, as do many of the Supernatural crew.
Season 3 was interrupted by the Writers Guild of America Strike which began at the end of 2007 and ran until February 2008. 3.13 Ghostfacers was the first episode written and filmed after the strike ended. Presented as a low budget, unscripted show, it is the type of programming that was predicted to replace scripted dramas like Supernatural if the strike had continued.
4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book marks the episode where Supernatural decided fourth walls were redundant as Sam and Dean discover a series of books - named after episodes of the Show – that are based on their life. The author of the books is Chuck Shurley – an avatar for Eric Kripke. Both the writers, and for the first time the fandom of the TV Show, are sent up. At Comic Con 2009 Kripke said he has a "tempestuous, loving, conflicting" relationship with the online Supernatural fan community, and that the meta episode "The Monster at the End of This Book" gave him a chance to lovingly make fun of them. Source. Supernatural fan – Becky – appears in 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil and later puts on a Convention in 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters.
Becky is surely the first time a Slash writing fan character has appeared in the TV show she is writing about. In 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil, she is writing a Wincest fic (which you can read here). This means that the show's writers composed fanfic about their own show, which then appeared in the show. Very meta! Of course in 7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding! fandom kidnaps canon when she doses Sam with a love potion.
In a more general meta vein Changing Channels threw Sam and Dean into a TV world, where the Show got a chance to poke fun at TV Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and CSI:Miami.
In 6.15 The French Mistake, the show razed the Fourth Wall and replaced it with a crazy funhouse mirror, when Sam and Dean end up in an alternate reality - the one of the TV show Supernatural, where everyone thinks they are Jared and Jensen.
Episodes
The following is a list of direct meta references in Supernatural i.e. references to the Show or its fandom.
Jensen Ackles's first major gig was in the role of Eric Brady on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives from 1997-2000.
4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book
The character is an avatar for Eric Kripke. Source - Rob Benedict talks about Chuck as Eric at Salute to Supernatural Chicago 2009.
Chuck is used as a vehicle to make commentary about the Show's writing - and its writers.
Chuck: Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god.
Sam: You're not a god.
Chuck: How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through -- The physical beatings alone.
Dean: Yeah, we're still in one piece.
Chuck: I killed your father. I burned your mother alive. And then you had to go through the whole horrific deal again with Jessica.
Sam: Chuck...
Chuck: All for what? All for the sake of literary symmetry. I toyed with your lives, your emotions, for...Entertainment.
The book Dean is reading relates the events of 1.13 Route 666.
Simpatico is the name of a poster on the Television Without Pity message boards.
Sam: As in Sam slash Dean, together.
Dean: Like together, together? They do know we are brothers, right?
Sam: Doesn't seem to matter.
Dean: Well that's just sick!
Sam Girls and Dean Girls are fans dedicated to one or other of the brothers.
Slash fanfiction is stories written by fans depicting characters in a same-sex romantic and/or sexual relationship. In the Supernatural fandom, Sam/Dean is known as Wincest.In a TV Guide interview Eric Kripke said of the episode title:
- "When we were breaking the story about the third Winchester brother, we knew the fans would scream that we had jumped the shark. Of course, adding a new sibling or relative to an established series is a classic and cherished shark jump, Cousin Oliver being the patron saint of the practice. Anyway, it became clear that we should beat the fans to the punch and title the episode, 'Jump the Shark.' Though rejected titles included: 'When Leo Joined Growing Pains,' or 'The Raven Symone Episode.'
- "For fans who are worried that we are truly jumping the shark... watch the episode, decide for yourself. Personally, I don't think we're gassing up the motorcycle quite yet, but you tell me. And stay tuned for next season, when the boys take trips to London and Hawaii (haunted Tiki dolls!) and Sam and Ruby get married. And Ted McGinley joins the cast as the thoughtful (but hot!) college professor."
See also
- Definition at TV tropes
- Jump The Shark on TVGuide - how your favourite show jumped the shark.
Adding a young kid to a cast is called doing a Cousin Oliver and is often seen as a sign of the show jumping the shark.
On the wall of Cousin Oliver's café are a number of photos of waterskiers, as well as a poster advertising a waterskiing stunt show starring a Fonzerelli. This is another more specific Jumping the Shark reference, namechecking Arthur 'The Fonz' Fonzerelli, who 'jumping the shark' was named after.Jared and Jensen always say to us like the joke is they always say to me and Bob, “Why don’t Sam and Dean have bungee cords on their wrists?”
The Hookman fan also says "Yeah, how original. Supernatural bringing in more creepy children. Sigh."
Fans have long referred to Sam's Puppy Dog Eyes - the pleading look he gives someone, frequently Dean, when he wants something.
5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
This is a reference to the airing day of Supernatural, which was Thursday from 1.17 Hell House until the end of Season 5.
Crowley: Since... What's today, Friday? Since, let's see... Mind your business.
This episode marks the first time since 5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight where Castiel and Crowley were in the same scene.
"The almost fictional cast and crew of Supernatural"
Bob: Ha! Right! You answer the hate mail.
When references are made to events in real life like this it is referred to as Lampshade Hanging. Another example is Sam mentioning that not many people watch the show, and of course Misha's tweeting.Dean is holding up a copy of the Supernatural: Official Magazine - Issue #11 from August 2009. Blue Steel is a signature modeling pose of Derek Zoolander, first referenced by Dean in 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues, and demonstrated by Jared and Jensen on every gag reel, and at numerous conventions.
A running gag during the episode is the fact that in this universe, Jared and Jensen are not on speaking terms. In real life, they are good friends as evidenced by the fact that they were groomsman at each other's weddings in 2010.
Supernatural is filmed in Vancouver, Canada. (Except for the Pilot which was filmed in L.A.)
Dean: (opening it to reveal a tanning bed) George Hamilton Dracula!
It is not known whether they have adopted any otters or own an alpaca.
The real Bob Singer was a producer on the '90s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman which starred Dean Cain as Superman/Clark Kent. Other Supernatural crew who worked on the series include Phil Sgriccia, Jim Michaels and composer Jay Gruska.
The words: #Misha, #metamadness and #kripke all made it into the top ten Trending Topics as the episode went to air.
Bob: He sold Octocobra? Mother of God they'll buy anything
Sam: You're kidding? So the character in the show - Bobby Singer...
Dean: What kind of a douchebag names a character after himself?
Sam: Oh that's not right!
'Variety' is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine.
Slash fiction is also the name of a genre of fanfiction which pairs two characters of the same gender in a sexual relationship – see Slash for more information. There are references in the episode that compare Sam and Dean to a couple - Honey Bunny and Pumpkin from Pulp Fiction, Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers as well as Mr and Mr(s) Smith.
This video compares scenes from the episode with the original movies
And the final scene was one that Jensen mentioned at Salute to Supernatural Chicago 2011 as one that both he and Jared thought made Sam and Dean sound too much like a married couple, so they rewrote a couple of the lines.This line is a meta dig at the fact that Sam and Dean keep coming back from the dead. As Ben Edlund said at Comic Con 2010 "...these creatures, these poor men, cannot die. The cruel universe that will not let them die."
7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!
Dean: Pretty much. I wouldn't leave that head too close to that body for too long.
Alpha Vampire: See you next season.
Dean: Looking forward to it.
- Two versions of the scene were scripted - in the alternate one the Alpha Vampire says "see you again" - because at the time of writing it was not known if the show had been renewed for an eighth season. In fact the Alpha Vampire did not return until 12.14 The Raid.
Dean: What show you been watching?
- Author William Faulkner once said "In writing, you must kill all your darlings." Also a possible meta reference to the Supernatural writers killing Kevin.
- Montages of clips from past episodes are often used as an expository mechanism
- Throughput the episode, Metatron monologues about the nature of story, and the relationship between author and audience
10.05 Fan Fiction The 200th episode is a meta reflection on the show, it's history and the fandom. Sam and Dean investigate disappearances at a girl's high school, where a group of students is staging their own musical interpretation of the The Supernatural Books.
- "Fun Fact, my 1st day on #Supernatural writers kept referring to 'The B.M.' scene... I was SO confused."
Marie: Well, Duh. But subtext.
- Dean's line harks back to his response in 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book when he and Sam discover the existence of Slash fans on the message boards for the The Supernatural Books.
Marie: Wow.
Dean: Yup.
- In fandom, when two people/characters are paired together in a relationship in fan works, or in a canonical relationship, it's customary to form a portmanteau out of their names. In Supernatural the most popular pairings are between Dean and Castiel (Destiel), and Sam and Dean which is known as Wincest - a mash-up of Winchester and incest. The pairing of Sam and Castiel is known as Sastiel or Sassy.
Marie: Oh, I love him I do, but honestly the author inserting themselves into the narrative thing, it's just not my favorite. I kind of hate the meta stories.
Sam & Dean: Me too.
- Supernatural has featured a number of Meta Episodes most famously 5.08 Changing Channels and 6.15 The French Mistake, in which Sam and Dean have not fared well.
12.15 Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
- Dean says this while holding a barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat that resembles Lucille from The Walking Dead. Lucille is the signature weapon of Negan. Both Negan and John Winchester are played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Jensen, Jeffrey, and fellow Walking Dead actor Michael Cudlitz had joked about a Walking Dead / Supernatural crossover on Twitter. The bat seen on the Impala is the one used in this episode. Also, similar to the state the characters from the Walking Dead find themselves in, Dean is also covered in gore
- A meta reference to the fact that many long-thought-dead characters have made reappearances on Supernatural in recent seasons.
14.20 Moriah We return to the idea of God as writer - and the Winchesters' lives are his favorite show!
Chuck: Yeah. I mean, you're my favorite show.
External Links
Acafandom Writing
- Fathallah, Judith May. 2010. Becky is my hero: The power of laughter and disruption in Supernatural. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0220.
- Felschow, Laura. 2010. "Hey, check it out, there's actually fans": (Dis)empowerment and (mis)representation of cult fandom in Supernatural. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0134.
- Gray, Melissa. 2010. From canon to fanon and back again: The epic journey of Supernatural and its fans. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0146.
- Sivarajan, Deepa. 2010. Tlön, fandom, and source text: The effect of fan works on the narrative of Supernatural. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0171.
- Wilkinson, Jules. 2010. A box of mirrors, a unicorn, and a pony. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0159.
- García-Martínez, A.N. "Breaking the Mirror. Metafictional Strategies in 'Supernatural'." In TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural, edited by David Lavery and Stacey Abbott, ECW Press, Toronto, 2011, pp. 146-160.
- Fuchs, Michael. 2014. "'Three hundred channels and nothing's on': Metaleptic Genre-Mixing in Supernatural," in Critical Reflections on Audience and Narrativity: New Connections, New Perspectives, eds. Bianca Mitu, Silvia Branea, and Valentina Marinescu. Hanover: ibidem-Verlag.
- Herbig, Art, and Andrew F. Herrmann. 2016. Polymediated Narrative: The Case of the Supernatural Episode "Fan Fiction." International Journal of Communication, no. 10. http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4397
- George, Jessica. 2017. "'The Monster at the End of This Book': Authorship and Monstrosity in Supernatural." In Monsters and Monstrosity in 21st-Century Film and Television, eds. Cristina Artenie and Ashley Szanter, Universitas Press.
- Re, Valentina. 2017. "The Monster at the End of This Book: Metalepsis, Fandom, and World Making in Contemporary TV Series." In World Building, edited by Marta Boni, 321-342, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam. https://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=1004106
Meta Essays
- Girls Don't Get It by sistermagpie (November 2009); archive link
- Kade, Stacey. 2011. Sam Winchester Should Be So Lucky... StacyKade.com, November 21; archive link
- On Becky, Storytelling and Simplicity by tiptoe39 (November 2011); archive link
- Becky Rosen -- A Character Study by rokhal (November 2011); archive link
- LET’S TALK ABOUT PARODY VS. AFFECTIONATE PARODY or That Time Hussie Parodied His Fans the Right Way by vantasticmess (June 2012); archive link 1, archive link 2
- That One Time Robbie Thompson Wrote Us A Mary Sue SPN/Wizard of Oz Crossover by twistedsardonic (October 2013); archive link
- “A Real Tight Rope You’re Walking”: Satire, Meta, and Corbett in “Ghostfacers” isthemachinesinging (March 2014); archive link
- Meta Fiction and Metatron, Chuck, Cigarette-Smoking Man, and Kilgore Trout…or, why does Metatron have a copy of Slaughter-House Five next to his typewriter? by larinah (March 2014); archive link
- Dean Winchester and Billy Pilgrim, brothers in arms unstuck in time and mind…or how Dean is a little like a Vonnegut character and that’s really not a good thing by larinah (April 2014); archive link
- Robbie Thompson and his X-Files Reference….the connections between Meta Fiction and Post-Modern Prometheus by larinah (April 2014); archive link
- Super Meta Madness!….I’ve really gone off the deep end of the meta pool now, and I swear after this I’ll shut up about all the Vonnegut connections! by larinah (April 2014); archive link
- For Mieke: The Epic Love Story of Supernatural and its Fans - A Brief Meta on “Meta Fiction” by bookdal (April 2014); archive link
- Metanatural: Supernatural and the Great Debate over Meaning by bookdal (May 2014); archive link
- 5.9/10.5: evolving perception and representation of fandom by theniftythings (November 2014); archive link
- The Truth in the Fanfiction by deathbycoldopen (November 2014); archive link
- Some Walk By Night - a little walk through the metafiction of Supernatural and some of the works that may have inspired it by larinah (November 2014); archive link
- Time to put on my old lady hat for a minute by yarnyfan (November 2014); archive link
- Metatron as Carver by nihilisticlinguistics, elizabethrobertajones (January 2015); archive link
- more thoughts by nihilisticlinguistics (November 2015); archive link
- farawayeyes. 2011/2016. Meta Fiction As a Funhouse: How Supernatural Smashes and Distorts The Fourth Wall. The Winchester Family Business; archive link
- Becky ... as a very creepy commentary on fandom culture by spnaturalconfessions; raptured-night (May 2016); archive link
- “The Most Meta Finale” Or, on trying to disown old canon since season 11 by elizabethrobertajones (September 2017); archive link
- The Meta of Supernatural & The Many Meanings of "God as the Author" by magicoolsassyphoenix (August 2019); archive link
- We are definitely circling Breakfast of Champions by tinkdw, drsilverfish, mittensmorgul (November 2019); archive link
Further Reading
- Kubicek, John. 2009. Supernatural slash: This is wrong. BuddyTV, September 11; archive link